In First, British Spy Chief Goes Public

The chief of Britain’s Secret Intelligence Service was set on Thursday to make the first public appearance by a serving chief of the agency in its 101-year history.

JOHN F. BURNS and ALAN COWELL

LONDON — At an appropriately hush-hush venue, before a not-so-hush-hush audience of newspaper editors and television cameras, the chief of Britain’s Secret Intelligence Service, on Thursday made the first public appearance by a serving chief of the agency, known as MI6, in its 101-year history.

But Sir John Sawers devoted much of his 30-minute address to the central role of secrecy in maintaining security.

"Secrecy is not a dirty word,” he said. “Secrecy is not there as a cover-up. Secrecy plays a crucial part in keeping Britain safe and secure.”

He also mused on what he called Britain’s abhorrence of torture as a means of extracting information, saying the country sought to avoid actions that could lead to torture, even though that might help terrorists.

The issue is hotly debated in Britain and has been the focus of much public questioning about whether the British secret services used information from spy agencies in other countries that was extracted by torture.

“If we know or believe action by us will lead to torture taking place, we’re required by U.K. and international law to avoid that action,” Sir John said. “And we do, even though that allows the terrorist activity to go ahead.”

“Some may question this, but we are clear that it’s the right thing to do. It makes us strive all the harder to find different ways, consistent with human rights, to get the outcome that we want.”

Sir John took over the agency after the retirement of his predecessor late last year. Previously he had been a high-profile diplomat, serving as Britain’s ambassador to the United Nations and in other posts.

Britain’s Press Association news agency said before he spoke that his host, the Society of Editors, had requested that the venue for his speech not be made public in advance.

His appearance extended a trend among Britain’s spy bosses to shed the traditional cloak of their trade.

“Why now, might you ask?” Sir John said of his decision to go public. The answer, he said, was that despite its prominence in the news, the debate about MI6 was not well-informed and “in today’s open society, no government institution is given the benefit of the doubt all the time.”

He said one third of his agency’s resources were devoted to combating international terrorism and called MI6’s work “the secret frontline of our national security.”

“Few know about the terrorist attacks that we help stop,” he said.

He singled out agents recruited by MI6 to spy on Britain’s behalf, calling them “true heroes.”

The organization traces its history to a decision by defense planners in 1909 to create a Secret Service Bureau. The body evolved through two world wars and the Cold War, feeding the plot lines and character lists of spy thrillers from James Bond to George Smiley. But for decades, the identity of its chief — known only as C, according to the Press Association — was the biggest secret of all.

Despite the nature of Sir John’s job, said Frank Gardner, the BBC’s security correspondent, “this is someone who loves the limelight.”

MI6 focuses on overseas operation while its domestic counterpart, MI5, is responsible for domestic security.

Even before his appointment, Sir John seemed to offer something a break with tradition, shown in Facebook photographs having fun in a park, wearing a red fleece and a Santa Claus hat and playing Frisbee on a beach.

The photographs were posted by Sir John’s wife, Shelley, who had chronicled the activities of her family and friends on the Facebook page, whose existence was disclosed by the tabloid Mail on Sunday.

Sir John’s appearance followed a first public speech by Iain Lobban, the director of Britain’s electronic eavesdropping agency, and several appearances by Jonathan Evans, the director general of MI5.

While he has not spoken publicly until Thursday about the work of MI6, he made two public appearances to give evidence at an official inquiry into the Iraq war about earlier assignments as a foreign policy adviser to former Prime Minister Tony Blair and as the British representative in Baghdad.